The New Friendship Turbulence
by Dts17
Summary: When a 23 year old female experimental physicist meets Amy the two of them strike up a friendship. What will happen when she suddenly meets the rest of the gang and Sheldon secretly develops a crush on her? I don't own the Big Bang Theory but I do own Max.
1. Chapter 1

The New Friendship Turbulence

Chapter 1

UCLA: 9 A.M.

" What the hell are you doing Dr. Sersen?! You're going to cause an explosion in the this lab and kill us!", Dr. Christopher Dean Walker interjected as he placed his hands on both sides of his head staring at his female work partner. She was caucasian, stood about 5 foot 7, had emerald green eyes and had straight, long jet black hair. She was also wearing amber red wire framed glasses on her face which were protected by the safety goggles she was wearing over them. She was also very young who looked about 23 years old.

" Excuse me Chris?! But who died and made you in charge of this project?!", Dr. Max Grace Sersen shot back as she stared at him.

" No one! I'm just looking out for our safety! I mean, look at this! You have wires connected on this laser where they shouldn't be and on top of that, how many times has our boss told you not to leave your folders sitting on exposed wire like that?! Seriously, are you trying to kill us?!", Chris interjected as he pointed at Max's milla folders that were sitting on top of the exposed wires. Upon hearing this, Max decided that this was the final straw.

" Alright, you know what?! I can't do this anymore! I QUIT!", Max shouted in Chris's face as she ripped her goggles off her head and slammed them down on the lab table.

" Quit?! You can't quit Max!", Chris shouted back at her as Max picked up her belongings.

" Oh yeah I can because I just did! You know, I've been stuck here at UCLA for 6 years and NOBODY has given me the respect I deserve here! NOBODY! So you know what, I'm gonna go somewhere where they actually appreciate my work, my brilliance and any other contributions that I have made to science so far! You all can kiss my ass! I'm out of here!", Max shouted as she hung up her lab coat and tore off her work ID, throwing it to the floor before she stormed out of the lab.

" Hey! Where do you think you're going Max?! Get back here!", Chris shouted as he called out after her but she had already left the building.

" What's going on here Dr. Walker?! Where's Dr. Sersen?!", Dr. Sherman Wesley Gibson asked he entered the lab.

" She quit Dr. Gibson!", Chris interjected at his boss.

" What?!", Dr. Gibson exclaimed as he then noticed Max's lab coat hanging up on the wall and her work ID laying on the floor.

" Why did she quit?! She was a brilliant experimental physicist!", Dr. Gibson exclaimed.

" I don't know! She said something about being stuck here for the last 6 years and being fed up with not being respected!", Chris said.

" Well then if that's the way she feels then I guess I have no choice but to replace her with someone else.", Dr. Gibson said as he spun on his heel and began to walk out.

" Wait, WHAT?! Now wait just a darn, flabergasted minute Dr. Gibson! There is NO WAY that I'm going work with some random stranger!", Chris interjected at his boss.

" You said that about Dr. Sersen before and yet you've come to accept her. So how is this any different?", Dr. Gibson said before he exited the lab. Chris said nothing to that and turned back to the unfinished laser sitting on the lab table. It collapsed and fell off the table to the floor.

" Oh son of a bi**h!", Chris hissed under his breath as he walked back over to the table.

Max's apartment complex…

" Stupid UCLA! They're going to regret how they've treated me all these years! I'll show them, give me some theories and lasers to work with and I can move the Earth!", Max hissed to herself as she stormed into her apartment building and bounded up the stairs to her apartment. As she angrily babbled incessantly to herself while trying to unlock the door to 317, she was suddenly approached by a certain young woman who lived in apartment 314 which was diagonally across from her.

" Is there a problem out here?", Amy asked Max.

" No, everything's fine! I'm just upset right now!", Max hissed under her breath as she continued fumbling with her apartment key.

" Well, ok. Do you want to talk about it?", Amy asked.

" No not at the moment! I'd rather just go into my apartment and forget about it!", Max hissed. Then she sighed and said, " I'm so sorry if I'm being rude. I just quit my job and I'm really stressed out right now."

" No worries, that happens to me a lot too. Sometimes I just get overwhelmed with certain things but I find logical ways to deal with them.", Amy said.

" Really? What's your profession?", Max asked.

" I'm a neurobiologist.", Amy said.

" Oh that's nice, I'm an experimental physicist. Dr. Max Grace Sersen.", Max said with a smile as she held out her hand.

" Nice to meet you, I'm Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler.", Amy said as the two women shook hands with each other.

" That's a pretty name.", Max said.

" Thank you. Yours is too.", Amy said.

" Thank you.", Max said. When she opened the door she then asked, " Would you like to come in for a moment?"

" I would. Thank you for the offer Max.", Amy said as she followed Max into the apartment.

" Could I interest you in something to drink Amy?", Max asked as she put her stuff down.

" Tepid water please.", Amy said.

" Ok.", Max said as she rummaged through her fridge.

" So, you said that you just quit your job? Where did you work?", Amy asked.

" UCLA. I've been there for the last 6 years.", Max said as she handed Amy a bottle of tepid water.

" Interesting. I used to work there too but then I got transferred to Caltech University. Why did you quit?", Amy asked.

" Because no one there appreciated my brilliant work I've done. I've made so many sacrifices there just to make those ba***rds happy that I just got so sick of it. Is Caltech looking for any new researchers?", Max asked.

" They always are.", Amy said.

" Well, do you think you can maybe get me an interview? That would be greatly appreciated.", Max asked.

" Well, I'm not sure but I could try.", Amy said.

" Thank you Amy. You're already turning out to be a great new friend.", Max said with a smile.

" You're welcome Max.", Amy said as she returned a smile back.

Buzz buzz!

" What was that?", Max asked.

" My phone. I got a text message.", Amy said as she pulled out her phone from her purse.

" Who's it from?", Max asked.

" My bestie Penny. She's asking me if I want to join her and Bernadette for a Girls Night Out tonight.", Amy said.

" Girls Night Out? That sounds fun.", Max said.

" It is. Would you like to join us?", Amy asked.

" Sure I would love to. I've got nothing else to do this evening anyway.", Max said.

" Ok, well how about we meet up at my apartment later so I can drive us over to Penny's.", Amy said.

" Ok.", Max said.

" I'll see you later Max. Bye.", Amy said as she left.

" Bye Amy.", Max said as she shut the door. As Amy walked back to her apartment she sent a text back to Penny. It said:

 _Hey bestie, I would love to join you and Bernadette tonight. Would it be ok if I brought a new friend along? She doesn't have any plans tonight and she seems really nice._

The response back was:

 _Of course that would be ok Ames. What's her name?_

Amy replied:

 _Dr. Max Grace Sersen. She's an experimental physicist._

Penny replied:

 _That's a pretty name. Sure, bring Max with you. Come by my apartment at around 8:30 tonight._

Amy replied:

 _Ok. See you later bestie. Bye. :)_

Penny replied:

 _Bye. :)_

Somewhere near 8:30 p.m…

Knock knock!

" Hi Max, you ready to go?", Amy asked as she came out of her apartment and locked to door.

" Yep, I'm ready.", Max said as she brushed her hair out of her face. She was wearing a dark blue silky t-shirt with the shoulders exposed and dark blue skinny jeans. She was also wearing dark blue heels on her feet.

" Wow, that's a lot of blue Max!", Amy exclaimed as she stared at her new friend.

" Is this too much Amy? I wasn't sure what to wear.", Max said as she looked at herself.

" No this is fine. Let's just go to Penny's.", Amy said.

" Ok.", Max said as the two women made their way down the stairwell. They walked outside to Amy's car and drove out of the parking lot.

2311 North Los Robles Avenue, Apartment 4B…

Knock knock!

" Hi Amy! Come on in!", Penny cheerfully said as she opened the door.

" Thanks Penny.", Amy said as her and Max walked in.

" Hi.", Max said with a smile.

" You must be Max! It's so nice to meet you! I'm Penny and this is Bernadette!", Penny cheerfully said with a smile as she gestured to herself and the woman standing next to her.

" Hi. Nice to meet you.", Bernadette said with a smile.

" You too. So where are we going for this Girls Night?", Max asked.

" I had a great place in mind but we're open to anything you would like to do too.", Penny said.

" Ok, although, I don't know what I would want to do so whatever you have planned is good enough for me Penny.", Max said with a smile.

" Alright then, let's hit it bitches!", Penny exclaimed as she grabbed her purse. As the 4 women headed out the door and toward the stairs they could hear sounds of shouting and virtual machine guns going off behind the door of 4A.

" What's going on in there?", Max asked as she pointed at the door.

" Oh it's just the guys playing Halo. It's Wednesday night.", Penny said.

" They do that every Wednesday?", Max asked.

" Yeah, to hell forbid a certain whackadoodle gets his schedule all messed up. We would never hear the end of it.", Penny said.

" Whackadoodle? Is one of them insane?", Max asked.

" No but he more so drives us up the wall with his nonsense. He's quirky and weird but you get used to him after knowing him for a while.", Bernadette said.

" Well, then I guess I'll just have to find out for myself. Whenever that may be.", Max said.

" Hey! That's my ex-boyfriend you're talking about!", Amy chimed in.

" Oh sorry Amy. Come on let's just go.", Penny said as she walked down the stairs. The other 3 women followed her. After a few hours of drinking at a nightclub the 4 women returned to Penny's apartment at around 11 o'clock at night. They were so drunk that they still had some energy left so they decided to have a sleepover. Penny drunkenly dragged herself to the stereo and pressed play. Instantly a thumping beat filled the air as Penny began shaking her hips to the beat of the music, laughing like an idiot. The song playing was a Danny Dubbz remix of Fergie's Glamorous.

" What the hell Penny?! Keep it down! Sheldon's gonna hear us!", Bernadette drunkenly laughed as she tossed her purse onto the teal colored couch.

" Oh to hell with Dr. Whackadoodle! He can't say nothing about this Bernie! He can just take his condescending, know-it-all remarks and shove them up his ass!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she leaned on her friend, drooling on her shoulder.

" Eww, get off me! I don't want your drool on my shoulder!", Bernadette drunkenly shrieked as she backed away from Penny. She quickly brushed her drool covered shoulder off with a look of disgust on her face before she started dancing.

" Oh lighten up Bernadette! It's not that bad!", Max drunkenly laughed as she began to shake her hips too.

" Yeah, it could be worse!", Amy drunkenly chimed in as she was dancing too.

" Ha! Good one Amy!", Max drunkenly laughed.

" Thanks Max!", Amy drunkenly laughed as the two women drunkenly high fived each other.

" Shut up you bi**h!", Bernadette drunkenly exclaimed. The 4 women continued dancing around Penny's apartment like drunken idiots, laughing and giggling as the music thumped off the walls. They were having so much fun that they didn't realize just how loud and obnoxious they were actually being until a familiar series of knocks thundered on the door followed by 3 repetitive sayings of " Penny!" in somewhat of an irritated voice which caused the 4 of them to stop dead in their tracks.

" Oh balls! It's Sheldon!", Penny drunkenly laughed.

" Well what the hell?! Go see what he wants Penny!", Bernadette drunkenly hissed at her friend. Penny drunkenly dragged herself to the door and opened it to reveal Dr. Sheldon Cooper who had an irritated scowl on his face.

" Oh hey Sheldon! What's up?!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she leaned in the doorway. The thin strap of her black dress hung loosely off her shoulder as she stared at her friend.

" What's up?! I'll tell you what's up Penny! To what do I owe the displeasure of that infernal racket coming from your apartment?! Do you have any idea what time it is?!", Sheldon irritatedly scolded as he crossed his arms in front of him, narrowing his eyes at her.

" Sure do!", Penny drunkenly exclaimed with a laugh.

" Clearly you don't considering the fact that you are obviously very intoxicated and you're being obnoxiously loud! It is after 11 o'clock at night! I am trying to achieve a proper REM cycle and so is Leonard! We can't do that with this obnoxious chaos going on over here! So please do me a favor Penny and shut that noise off!", Sheldon scolded as he joined his hands together behind his back.

" Alright, fine! Whatever the hell you say you whackadoodle!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she dragged herself over to the stereo and turned it off. Then she drunkenly asked, "There, happy?!"

" I'm not unhappy.", Sheldon said as he twitched an eyebrow.

" Problem solved Sheldon Cooper!", Penny drunkenly laughed.

" That's Dr. Cooper and it most certainly is not Penny! You disrupted my sleep with that obnoxious racket and laughter! I told you countless times that there is a building ordinance policy that states all residents in this apartment complex have the right to peace and solitude in their own humble abodes! Go to sleep and if I hear that noise again before sunrise you will all receive a strike! No excuses!", Sheldon scolded.

" Does that include me?", Max drunkenly asked as she stared at him.

" What?!", Sheldon asked as he looked at her. The other 3 stared at her as well.

" What?! Why are you staring at me like that?!", Max drunkenly asked. Sheldon stood frozen for a second and then he asked, "Penny, who is this?"

" That's Amy's new friend Dr. Max Grace Sersen! Amy asked me if Max could tag along with us and so I figured why not!", Penny drunkenly laughed.

" Interesting.", Sheldon said. He thought, 'She's kind of pretty.' as he stared at Max.

' So this is the guy they were talking about. He looks kind of cute.', Max thought in her head as she stared at Sheldon. She blushed a little bit but not enough to be noticeable. Sheldon just stood there staring at Max but was snapped back to attention when Penny drunkenly waved her hand in front of his face and drunkenly said, " Hello?! Earth to Sheldon! Did you even hear what the hell I said?!"

" Yes, I heard you. You don't need to repeat it.", Sheldon said as he looked at Penny, rolling his eyes at her. Penny sucked in a breath of air as she looked at the theoretical physicist. For a moment she felt intimidated by him by the way he towered over her. He was like a Praying Mantis compared to her.

' Woah, cute and tall too?! Am I dreaming this?!', Max thought.

" Oh Sheldon, you worry too much!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she leaned on him, laying her hand on his shoulder. The sudden contact made him flinch. He gently pushed her away and said, " Excuse me Penny, but, I do not appreciate the inappropriate physical contact upon my person. I've imformed you thusly on several occassions that I do not wish to be contaminated by any germs or other contagious pathogens that may be present on your body. I do not wish to contract some horrible illness or deadly disease."

" You big weirdo! I told you several times that I'm not contagious! What the hell is wrong with you?!", Penny drunkenly laughed.

" On the contrary Penny, you are the reason that I become ill in the first place. Remember when you came home from Nebraska after visiting your family? Or what about the time when I hugged you because you agreed to talk to Leonard about letting me go to Switzerland and not you to see the Large Hadron Collider?", Sheldon said with his hands still behind his back.

" Oh my god! Would you let that go?! That was a long time ago and for your information I did not get you sick! You're just crazy!", Penny drunkenly interjected.

" I reject that claim and I'm not crazy, my mother had me tested! Your body is like a large breeding ground for germs, bacteria and other contagious pathogens to which I do not wish to be inflicted upon my person! You very well know that I'm extremely germophobic!", Sheldon scolded as he got up in his friend's face.

" You are such a whackadoodle Sheldon!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she lightly tapped his face.

" Please stop touching me Penny! I am going back to bed and I suggest you do the same! Good night!", Sheldon scolded as he backed away, turned on his heel and stormed out of Penny's apartment back to his and Leonard's. Once the door to 4A slammed shut Penny shut her door and drunkenly laughed, " What a buzzkill!"

" Yeah that was weird, even for him!", Bernadette drunkenly said.

" Ah screw it! We're gonna do whatever the hell we want!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she dragged herself over to the stereo again.

" Penny I don't think that's such a…!", Amy drunkenly interjected as she looked at what her best friend was doing.

" Oh just shut the hell up Amy!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she stumbled over a little and smacked her palm on the play button of the stereo. The music started up again as she continued to dance like an idiot.

" You crazy bitch! You're really asking for it!", Bernadette drunkenly exclaimed as she started to dance again.

" Yeah I am!", Penny drunkenly laughed.

" Oh my god! This the best idea that you've ever had Penny! This is insane!", Max drunkenly laughed as she joined in again.

" Yeah it is! Shove this up your a** Dr. Cooper!", Penny drunkenly laughed. The 4 women picked up right where they left off being just as loud and obnoxious as they were before. But just as quickly as they started up again the familiar knocks thundered on the door again followed by 3 Pennys.

" What?!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she opened the door to see Sheldon standing there again.

" Ok that's strike one! I thought I told you to kill that racket Penny!", Sheldon scolded.

" You did and I don't give a care! You're really being a nutcase right now!", Penny drunkenly laughed.

" Ok that's it! Move aside please!", Sheldon interjected as he shoved past Penny entering her apartment. As he walked over to the stereo Penny drunkenly asked, " Wait, what are you…?!" Sheldon shut the stereo off, unplugged it from the wall and picked it up.

" I'll be taking this!", Sheldon interjected as he made his way back to the door with Penny's stereo in his hand.

" Hey what the hell Sheldon?! You can't just come into my apartment and take my stereo! I don't come into your apartment and do stuff like that to you and Leonard!", Penny drunkenly interjected as she rolled her eyes at her physicist friend.

" On the contrary Penny, you do that all the time and it's quite annoying! I am confiscating this because you clearly can't seem to handle it right now! So as such it will remain in my storage closet and untouched until further notice! Do not try to retrieve it in the meantime or you will receive another strike! Now as I said before, go to sleep! Good night!", Sheldon interjected as he spun on his heel and stormed out back to his and Leonard's apartment.

" Oh I am so getting that back! There is no way that I'm just going let that giant pain in the ass keep that! Strike or no strike, I'm getting that thing back in the morning!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she shut the door.

" You just love pushing Sheldon's buttons do you Penny?!", Bernadette drunkenly laughed.

" Hell yeah I do Bernadette! Let's just go to bed!", Penny drunkenly laughed as she went to her room. The other three women passed out shortly after that in the living room.

Apartment 4A…

' Ah blissful silence!', Sheldon thought with a grin on his face as he crawled back into his bed after placing Penny's stereo in the storage closet. As he tried to fall back asleep the image of Max suddenly appeared in his mind making it almost nearly impossible for him to achieve this.

' Oh what fresh hell is this?! Why am I suddenly thinking about Amy's new friend?! Am I really developing some kind of attraction towards this Dr. Sersen?! I don't even know her! I'm a Homo Novus for God's sake! Amy would never speak to me again if she found out about this even though her and I are broken up! Whatever shall I do?!', Sheldon thought with a frown as he sat up in his bed. He wasn't sure what the situation called for so he decided to bang his head repeatedly against the wall in the hopes that it would get Max out of his mind. Unfortunately this repetitive banging woke up Leonard.

" Sheldon! Stop banging your head on the wall! I'm trying to sleep!", Leonard hissed at his roommate/best friend through the wall from the other bedroom.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

" Sheldon! Stop banging your head on the wall! I'm trying to sleep!", Leonard hissed at his roommate/best friend through the wall from the other bedroom. He was really not in the mood for Sheldon's weird and crazy antics.

" Well I can't! Penny made it nearly impossible for me to get back to sleep now! See Leonard I told you that becoming friends with Penny was a bad idea but did you listen to me, no!", Sheldon said as he continued hitting his head against the wall.

" Why are you blaming my girlfriend for this?! She has nothing to do with whatever the hell this is that you're complaining about! Just go to bed!", Leonard groaned as he rolled over in his bed.

" Wrong sir wrong! She has everything to do with this!", Sheldon interjected from his bedroom.

" How?!", Leonard groaned.

" She disrupted my perfectly organized, non-chaotic lifestyle by coming into our lives in the first place!", Sheldon said.

" Sheldon I really don't want to talk about this with you right now! Go back to sleep! We have work in the morning!", Leonard hissed.

" But I still can't sleep!", Sheldon said.

" So what do you want me to do about it you crazy bastard?!", Leonard hissed.

" I'm not sure. I don't know what the situation calls for.", Sheldon said.

" Sheldon! Go to sleep! If you don't I'm gonna take a big sleeping pill and shove it so far down your throat that you won't be able to recollect what happened to you!", Leonard snapped.

" On the contrary Leonard I certainly think I will! I have an eidetic memory and I can't forget anything!", Sheldon stated.

" Kill me!", Leonard interjected as he stared up at the ceiling in his bedroom.

" Be careful with what you wish for Leonard. You just might get it.", Sheldon said.

" Sheldon!", Leonard interjected as he pulled his pillow over his face.

Apartment 4B...

' Omg! This was the most insanely awesome night of my life! This totally helped me forget about what happened this morning! I so want to continue hanging out with these women! Also, I would really like to get to know their quirky friend across the hall! He did seem a little weird, but, they never told me that he was this cute! Wait a minute, what the hell am I even saying?! I have a boyfriend! Well, a boyfriend who's a complete, abusive jackass! Andre probably won't even care, right?! Wait, why do I suddenly even care about what he thinks?! He treats me like sh*t which is why I didn't tell him that was leaving him! And also, would this really be worth risking my new friendship with Amy over?! She did say that Sheldon was her ex-boyfriend! I'm just not sure if I should take the chance! It could be a very wrong way to start a friendship! Oh god what do I do?!', Max thought in her head as she slept on the floor next to the couch. Amy was sleeping on the couch and Bernadette was sleeping on the floor on the other side. The only sound that could be heard was Penny's soft snoring coming from her bedroom. By that moment it was nearly 1 o'clock in the morning.

The next morning, Bernadette left for work an hour before Amy and Max. Amy decided to bring Max with her to Caltech to get an interview with President Siebert in the hopes to get her friend a job there. Meanwhile Sheldon and Leonard were getting ready to leave for Caltech as well which caught the attention of Penny who was standing behind her closed apartment door with her ear pressed against the door, listening to what her friend and her boyfriend were talking about with each other. She was wearing a black long sleave shirt, black sweatpants and a black beanie hat on her head. She looked like a modern day burgular but that wasn't her goal. She had one purpose and one purpose only. When she thought they were gone she grabbed her spare key to 4A and sprinted across the hall, letting herself into the apartment. She normally went in there for what Sheldon considers ' mooching off' but this time she was going in there for one purpose and that was to take her stereo back that Sheldon took from her the night before.

' Alright, where the hell did you hide my stereo at in here Dr. Crazy?!', Penny thought as she entered the storage closet in the apartment and began to look around. It was filled with a bunch of cardboard boxes and other sciency junk which was no doubt a combination of Sheldon's and Leonard's possessions. She nearly tripped over various items as she searched the closet, cursing under her breath incessantly. She eventually spotted it up on the top shelf of a heavy duty metal storage rack that you would typically see in warehouses or garages.

' Ah ha, there it is! Come to Penny!', Penny thought with a sinister smile on her face as she reached up to grab it only to discover that it wouldn't budge.

' What the hell?! Why won't it move?!', Penny thought in frustration as she stood up on her tip toes to see what the problem was. Her frustration grew more when she saw a chain wrapped around the handle of the stereo. The other end of the chain was wrapped around the leg of the shelf with a pad lock connecting both ends which prevented the stereo from being moved.

' Oh balls! You got to be kidding me! Well played Sheldon, well played!', Penny hissed in her mind as she then began to search for the key to the pad lock.

' Dammit Sheldon! How is it that you're this evil of a genius?! I can't find that stupid key anywhere! Where the hell did you put it you whackadoodle?!', Penny hissed in her mind under her breath when she couldn't find the key. She continued looking until she eventually found it in the crease of a book that was sitting on the bookshelf in the living room. But the second she reentered the storage closet with the key to the pad lock and unlocked the chains she could hear voices out in the living room which she recognized to be Sheldon and Leonard. Apparently Sheldon had forgotten something which was very rarely as in he has an eidetic memory and never forgets anything.

' Oh hell, you got to be kidding me! What do I do now?!', Penny thought as she silently gasped. She then looked around for a place to hide until her eyes looked up a the ceiling. The ceiling was kind of high off the floor and it had rafters which looked like the perfect place to hide a person.

' You know what, I'm going to hide on the ceiling like Spiderman. Hopefully Dr. Whackadoodle won't notice me up here. Well, here goes nothing.', Penny thought as she quietly climbed the storage rack like a ladder and pulled herself up onto the rafters, wrapping her legs around them and gripped the rung of it with her hands as she let the upper half of her body hang downward like Spiderman. She may have been a terrible actress but she did seem to know a little about impersonations.

" Sheldon hurry up! We're going to be late for work!"

" Excuse me Leonard but that's very rude! I would appreciate it if you didn't scream at me please! And another thing, why is our apartment door unlocked?!"

" I don't know! It was locked when we walked out of here! Sheldon just grab what you need and let's go!"

" Alright alright, geez! What a grouch!"

As the voices continued Penny silently hissed, " Oh my god what the hell are you two idiots doing?! Just leave already! I can't hang up here forever!" Penny could feel herself beginning to slip because the laws of gravity were beginning to affect her.

" Oh son of a bitch! Ahhhhh!", Penny interjected with a scream as she fell from the ceiling and crashed to the floor. Her stereo fell off the shelf and crash landed on top of her. The sudden impact and noise caught the attention of Sheldon and Leonard.

" What the hell was that?!", Leonard asked as he looked at Sheldon.

" I'm not sure but if my suspicions are correct, that sounded like Penny.", Sheldon said as he walked over to the storage closet. Leonard followed him and when Sheldon opened the door both men were taken aback when they saw Penny laying on the floor looking up at them.

" Penny?!", both of them exclaimed.

" Oh hhey guys! I bet you're wondering why I'm laying here, right?!", Penny nervously laughed as she stared the shocked face of her boyfriend and the disappointed face of her friend.

" Indeed we are. Why?", Sheldon asked with a scowl on his face as he crossed his arms in front of his chest, narrowing his eyes at her.

" Oh, it's a funny story Sheldon! Um, this isn't what it looks like!", Penny nervously laughed.

" That statement is completely false! It appears that you're trying to take your stereo back after I precisely told you last night to not retrieve it until further notice!", Sheldon interjected.

" You want to catch me up on that Sheldon? Did you go over to Penny's last night?", Leonard asked as he stared at his best friend.

" Yes, but that was only to scold Penny and the other women for being disruptive and obnoxiously loud.", Sheldon said.

" Oh come on Sheldon we were just having fun, it was a sleepover! We were drunk and we still had a little bit of energy left!", Penny shot back at him.

" Yes that was quite obvious which is why you each received a strike when you blatanly disregarded what I said if I heard that obnoxious racket again before sunrise.", Sheldon said.

" Ok I can understand you giving Amy, Bernadette, and I strikes for this, but, why did you give one to Max?! You don't even know her!", Penny interjected.

" That's true, I don't, but Dr. Sersen was involved in these ridiculous pending nuptials in the first place so it's only fair that she receive one as well.", Sheldon said.

" That doesn't make any sense Sheldon!", Penny shot back.

" On the contrary Penny, it does.", Sheldon said.

" Who's Max?", Leonard asked.

" She's Amy's new friend. Amy brought her over to join us for a Girls Night Out last night and we totally hit it off with each other. After the 4 of us had several drinks we came back to my apartment to have a sleepover.", Penny said.

" Amy has a new friend?! When did that happen?!", Leonard shockingly asked.

" I don't know. They must have met yesterday.", Penny said.

" And she's a doctor?", Leonard asked.

" She's an experimental physicist and before you say anything Leonard, don't get any ideas. You're my boyfriend, remember?", Penny said.

" Penny I would never do that to you.", Leonard said.

" Good to know.", Penny said. Then she hissed in pain, " Ow! Could you guys help me get up please?!"

" Sure Penny.", Leonard said as he walked up to his girlfriend and bent over to help her up. Sheldon reluctantly helped as well.

" Ow! Don't touch my left arm! That hurts!", Penny hissed in pain as she looked at Sheldon.

" You said you wanted us to help you Penny!", Sheldon interjected.

" I know I said that but the way you're gripping my arm hurts!", Penny shot back.

" Well good Lord woman, make up your mind!", Sheldon shot back at her as him and Leonard were slowly walking her out of their apartment.

" Don't push it Sheldon!", Penny hissed.

" I don't appreciate that tone and by the way, what you just did is strike 2.", Sheldon said. Penny rolled her eyes as the three of them continued their way down the stairs and out to Leonard's car. The two physicists dropped Penny off at the hospital before heading to work. Meanwhile, after a brief interview with President Siebert and Dr. Gablehauser, Max was hired and was escorted to one of the labs. She was introduced to a new work partner and got right to work. On her lunch break she met up with Amy in the cafeteria.

" Hi Max.", Amy said as she sat down at a table with her tray of food.

" Hi Amy.", Max said as she sat down at the table across from Amy.

" How's your first day going so far?", Amy asked.

" Pretty good. Thanks again for setting up that interview for me, it was greatly appreciated.", Max said.

" No problem.", Amy said. As they talked to each other about work related things and the events of last night they failed to notice the 4 guys staring at them from across the cafeteria.

" Who's that woman with Amy?", Raj asked.

" I don't know but she looks sexy.", Howard said in a very low, horny voice. This earned him an unexpected slap on the head from Sheldon.

" Ow! What was that for Sheldon?!", Howard shrieked as he rubbed the back of his head from where his friend slapped him.

" She is not for you!", Sheldon interjected.

" What?!", Howard asked in confusion.

" Not for you! You're married to Bernadette!", Sheldon interjected.

" Dude stop hitting on women that you know you don't have a shot with! If anything it should be me hitting on her!", Raj interjected.

" You can't talk to women Raj!", Howard shot back at his best friend.

" So, that doesn't mean that I don't have a shot.", Raj said.

" Uh, yeah it does.", Howard said.

" Excuse me, but, I believe that I just said that she is not for you!", Sheldon interjected as he narrowed his eyes at his two friends.

" You guys knock it off and what do you mean by that Sheldon?! Do you have a crush on Max?!", Leonard interjected at his friends as he stared at Sheldon.

" Max?!", Howard and Raj exclaimed.

" Oh please Leonard, don't be ridiculous! I have more important things to think about than to persue another relationship! This is precisely why Amy and I have terminated ours several months ago!", Sheldon said with a derivitive snort.

" Don't fall for that Leonard, he's totally crushing on her. I can see it in his face.", Howard said with a sinister smile on his face.

" You dawg! No wonder why you couldn't get to sleep last night!", Leonard exclaimed with a smile on his face as he stared at his best friend.

" Excuse me, but, what part of ' I have more important things to think about' do you not understand?!", Sheldon scolded as he shot dagger-like eyes at Leonard.

" Oh sure, sure! I thought you didn't have a deal!", Leonard said with a smirk.

" I don't! Good Lord you frustrate me Leonard Hofstadter!", Sheldon interjected as he dumped his tray and stormed out of the cafeteria. His friends started laughing at this reaction. They thought it was so funny to think that their bat-crap crazy, egotistical, emotionless robotic friend actually had feelings for someone other than Amy. In fact, to them, it was so funny that it was scary at the same time. They could only imagine that if Amy ever found out that Sheldon was falling for someone else, she would most likely be hurt especially if she found out that someone was her new friend Max. The thought of that made them shut up immediately.

" Hey Max what's that on your arm?", Amy asked as she suddenly noticed what looked like a marking on Max's arm. It was partially sticking out underneath her lab coat arm.

" Oh this? It's just a tatoo of my boyfriend Andre. I'm thinking of having it removed actually.", Max said as she revealed her tatoo.

" Why?", Amy asked.

" Because I don't want to be with him anymore. I actually moved out of his apartment 2 months ago without saying a word to him.", Max said.

" Is there a reason why?", Amy asked.

" Because he's very controlling and emotionally and physically abusive to me. I was afraid that if I had said something I would have gotten seriously hurt or worse.", Max said as she shuddered at the thought of what could have happened to her if she hadn't made the decision to leave Andre.

" Oh my god that's horrible!", Amy exclaimed as she gasped. She couldn't believe what her friend just said.

" Yeah, and I just know that my dad will be very happy about it. He never really liked Andre from the very beginning. He always thought of him as a bad influence.", Max said.

" Why's that?", Amy asked.

" Because Andre is a member of a very violent street gang.", Max said.

" You're in a relationship with a gang member?!", Amy exclaimed as she stared at her.

" I know that it seems very unlikely that a brilliant experimental physicist like myself would be romantically involved with a gang member, but, the truth is, Andre and I started our relationship before I received my Ph.D in experimental physics.", Max said as she nodded her head.

" When did you two get together?", Amy asked.

" We started dating each other when I was 15 against my father's wishes that I stay away from him, but, I couldn't help myself. I was so stupid and so much in love with him that it was like nothing my father said about him phased me. I just continued to be this dumb, young rebellious teen that eventually I found myself getting into a whole bunch of trouble. I was doing things that I really shouldn't have been doing and once I almost made the mistake of having unprotected sex with Andre. Lucky for me I had enough sense to not go through with it or else I would have gotten pregnant or an STD.", Max said.

" Max that's horrible! What about your mother?", Amy asked.

" My mom passed away when I was just a baby. I don't have many memories of her. It was mainly just me, my 3 sisters, my brother and my dad while I was growing up. I wish I knew what she was like when she was still alive.", Max sadly said.

" I'm sorry. That must have been very hard for you growing up without a mother.", Amy said with a sad sigh.

" It was. I had always wondered what had happened to her and when my dad told me the truth one day which was that she died from an undetectable kidney disease I… couldn't handle it. I cried for a few months, but, eventually I found closure.", Max sadly said as she began to feel a tear slide down her face but flicked it away with a finger.

" Who are your siblings?", Amy asked.

" My sisters names are Jordynn, Leni, and Samantha and my brother's name is Brandon.", Max said.

" You're lucky, I'm an only child. I've always wished that I had a sister but you got 3.", Amy said.

" That's true and I have a brother who's very immature at times. Brandon does the stupidest things to me sometimes that it just makes me want to shove him in cardboard box and ship him off to Timbuktu.", Max said with an evil-like smirk on her face.

" Yeah but you wouldn't actually do that, right?", Amy asked.

" No of course not! My dad would litterally kick my ass for that! Plus, it's illegal to ship your siblings!", Max laughed.

" You know, the way you said that it sounds like a reference.", Amy said.

" It is. It's from a Disney channel show I used to watch when I was younger.", Max said.

" And what was that?", Amy asked.

" KC Undercover.", Max said.

" Interesting. I've never heard of that show.", Amy said.

" Well neither did I until I started watching it.", Max said. They continued talking until their lunch break was over and they went back to work. When they got off work a few hours later and the two of them began walking out of the building into the parking lot talking to each other, a black colored Toyota with dark tinted windows suddenly sped into the parking lot and parked in an empty parking space that was 3 spaces away from where Amy's car was parked. As the two women approached Amy's car, a 6 foot 4 African American male with a medium sized afro stepped out of the passenger side of the other car and began approaching them. He was wearing some gold chains around his neck, a black t-shirt with a black leather jacket over it, blue jeans that were sagging a little bit revealing his boxers and black slides on his feet. He also had some tatoos on his hands as well as his forehead. He also had a red scarf tied around his head and he was also wearing sunglasses.

" Yo Max! Where do you think you're going?!", Andre, Max's abusive boyfriend demanded.

" Oh god! Get away from me Andre! I don't want to talk to you!", Max screamed as she tossed her work bag into Amy's car.

" Just ignore him and get in the car Max!", Amy interjected as she opened the driver's side door and stuck her key in the ignition.

" With pleasure Amy! See ya Andre!", Max interjected as she opened the passenger side door.

" Na na na, you're not going anywhere! We need to talk! Now!", Andre interjected as he shook his head.

" There's nothing to talk about Andre Brix! Go away!", Max hissed as she tried to get in her friend's car but Andre blocked her path.

" Get out of my way Andre! Now!", Max screamed.

" No and what did I tell ya about callin' me that?! It's Wolfgang!", Andre shouted as he made some gang related sign with his hands.

" That's just your stupid gang name and I'm not calling you that! Now get the hell out of my way and leave me alone!", Max shouted.

" No! Not until you tell me why your belongings are missing from my apartment!", Andre demanded.

" I'm not telling you crap! Now please go away so I can go home! You are embarrassing me! This is a science university!", Max shouted.

" Yeah so just leave her alone!", Amy shouted.

" Shut up! What the hell are you doing here?!", Andre demanded.

" I work here you idiot! I told you I'm an experimental physicist! I just got off work and now my friend Amy and I are going home!", Max shouted. As the shouting continued and tensions flared this caught the attention of the guys who were making their way out of the building as well.

" What's going on over there?", Howard asked as he looked in the direction of the commotion that was going on by Amy's car.

" It looks like Max is arguing with some guy.", Leonard said.

" Very obvious assumption Leonard.", Sheldon said.

" What do you think they're arguing about?", Raj asked. Before Sheldon could answer that he suddenly gasped along with his friends when they saw Andre suddenly grab Max's wrist in an aggressive, rough manner causing her to scream.

" Did you guys see that?!", Raj exclaimed.

" Yeah, that guy just grabbed her wrist very aggressively! We got to do something about this!", Leonard exclaimed as he pointed at the scene going on before them.

" And we most certainly are Leonard! Follow me gentlemen!", Sheldon interjected as he stormed over to his ex-girlfriend's car. His friends followed him.

" Ow! You're hurting me Andre! Don't manhandle me like that!", Max screamed as she tried to pull away.

" Shut up bi**h! I'll do what I want! Now let's go!", Andre shouted as he continued to try dragging Max with him toward the other car.

" No! Let go! I'm not going anywhere with you! I told you it's over between us! It's been over for the past 2 months since I moved out of your apartment! Amy help me!", Max screamed as she continued to struggle against her ex-boyfriend's grip.

" Get your hands off her!", Amy screamed as she tried to shove Andre away but he shouted in her face, " Don't ya dare touch me! Buzz off!"

" Excuse me but that's no way to treat a woman! I demand you release her and leave this instant!", Sheldon angrily shouted at Andre as he stood in front of his friends with his fists clenched at his sides.

" You ain't the boss of me nigga! Back off!", Andre shouted like a gangster.

" Excuse me?!", Amy shouted.

" I don't appreciate that vulgar language addressed to me! Please leave now before my friends and I are subjected to calling the police! You are acting very unruly and disrespectful!", Sheldon shouted.

" I said you ain't the boss of me! This is between me and my girlfriend!", Andre shouted.

" I'm not your girlfriend anymore Andre! I told you it's over! Leave me alone!", Max screamed as she pulled away from him.

" I said shut up bitch!", Andre shouted as he pimp slapped her across the face so hard that he broke her nose. She stumbled backwards into Amy and screamed, " Ow! Andre you idiot you broke my nose! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Blood began dripping down onto her lower lip causing the guys to gasp in anger as well as Amy. Sheldon's nostrils flared in anger as he suddenly walked up to Andre and punched him right in the face. The hard blow was enough to knock him off his feet causing him to smack the back of his head on the concrete.

" Ow! Why you little faggot I'm gonna...!", Andre shouted as he clambered to his feet and was about ready to hit Sheldon back but Max shouted, " Don't you dare hit him Andre Antonio Brix! Get out of here! Now! I never want to see you again!"

" Fine! I will leave but this ain't over!", Andre shouted as he flipped her off and threw up some gang sign with his hands before he stormed off toward the black Toyota. He got back into the passenger side before the car suddenly sped out of the parking lot. An obnoxious bass boomed out of it before it faded into the distance. Max started to cry in pain as she held her bleeding nose with her good hand.

" Are you ok Max?!", Amy exclaimed in concern as she gently placed her arm over her friend's shoulder.

" No I'm not ok Amy! That stupid jerk broke my nose!", Max cried.

" Come on let's go home!", Amy exclaimed as she proceeded to help Max get into the car but Sheldon said, " Amy, why don't you go home. Leonard and I will take her to our apartment."

" Are you sure Sheldon? I can drive her home. It's no problem.", Amy said.

" Leonard and I will drive her home later. You just go home.", Sheldon said.

" Alright.", Amy said.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

The car ride home was awkwardly silent even after Sheldon and Leonard picked up Penny from the hospital who had come out with a sling on her left arm and her right leg in a cast resting on a scooter. She wanted to ask Max what happened to her but was too exhausted to talk so she didn't say anything about it. While Leonard went across the hallway to get Penny settled, Sheldon took Max into his and Leonard's apartment. He gently walked her to the center of the couch and said, " Sit here one moment, I'll be right back."

" Ok.", Max cried as Sheldon helped her sit down before heading to the bathroom. He came back moments later with his first aid kit and set it on the coffee table in front of the couch. He then opened it and took out some latex gloves, disinfectant wipes, cotton balls and a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide. He also took out some adhesive medical gauze and some bandages.

" What's all that stuff for?", Max sniffled.

" This is to treat your injuries.", Sheldon said as he pulled on the gloves.

" Are you sure you know what you're doing?", Max sniffled.

" Of course I know what I'm doing. I may be a theoretical physicist but I can treat minor abrasions and injuries.", Sheldon said as he gently wiped blood of off Max's lips and underneath her nose using a disinfectant wipe. While he was doing so he asked, " So, if you don't mind me asking, who was that man that assulted you Max?"

" My jerk of a boyfriend Andre Brix. He's actually now my ex.", Max sniffled.

" Well good Lord is that man in a gang or something?! His language is very displeasing!", Sheldon asked as he opened the bottle of peroxide and dipped a cotton ball in it.

" Yeah, he's in this gang called Red Dead 7. It's a very violent street gang. They go around town mugging and robbing people and then they resell the things they stole to get drugs.", Max sniffled as Sheldon gently dabbed the cotton ball under her nose. She squinted her eyes shut clenching her teeth in pain as the peroxide made contact with her wounds.

" Ow, that stings!", Max exclaimed as tears continued to fall from her face.

" Oh sorry, I forgot to mention that. This is so that it doesn't become infected.", Sheldon said as he continued dabbing her wounds. Then he took the adhesive gauze and gently wrapped it around her nose.

" Thank you.", Max cried.

" My pleasure. Let me see your wrist for a moment.", Sheldon said. Max gently lifted her hand off her thigh and Sheldon looked at her hand and wrist. It was black and swollen with some bruising but not so bad to the point of needing it amputated at a hospital. Sheldon gently wrapped some bandages around Max's hand and wrist before sliding the pillow in his spot against the arm of the couch. As he helped her lie down he said, " Wait here."

" Ok.", Max softly said. Sheldon disposed of the gloves he was wearing and put his first aid kit away. Then he went into the kitchen and grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer wrapping it with paper towels before walking back over to Max. He gently placed the ice pack over her bandaged wrist and covered her with a blanket.

" Why am I laying here now?", Max softly asked.

" Well, situation protocol calls for that one must rest if they fall ill or in your case become injured.", Sheldon said.

" I'm fine Sheldon, it's just a broken nose and a manhandled wrist. Besides, I'm not even tired.", Max softly said but then she yawned.

" I'm sorry but that is non-optional. Get some rest. I'll be sitting here at my desk if you need me.", Sheldon said as he sat down at his desk. Max acknowledged what he said before she drifted off to sleep. A soft smile began to spread across her face as she slept. The act of kindness and gentle care that she received from Sheldon made her feel comfortable. She now felt like she was safe even though he was a complete stranger that she had yet to get to know.

" Hey Sheldon I'm back! I just got Penny settled…", Leonard suddenly said as he walked in but was quickly silenced by Sheldon.

" Shhhh! Max is sleeping!", Sheldon whispered as he pointed at Max who was sleeping soundly on the couch. Leonard acknowledged this.

" Ok. I'm just going to go to my room for a few hours.", Leonard whispered as he quietly set his keys in the bowl before he quietly made his way through the apartment and down the hallway to his bedroom. Sheldon nodded his head at this before he turned back to his laptop. As he continued working on his laptop he couldn't help the feelings that were suddenly emerging knowing that his secret crush was laying on his couch just a few feet away. Knowing that Max was now single also made an impact on Sheldon's feelings as in it increased them even though he didn't know her yet.

' Oh what fresh hell is this?! Why am I still thinking about Max?! I have more important things to think about and yet this woman seems to be continuously invading my thoughts! I'm a Homo Novus! Why would I waste my time persuing a relationship with this woman instead of focusing on the things that really matter to me?! I barely know this woman and more importantly what would Amy think about this?! We may be broken up with each other but we're still friends and I would certainly not want to ulter our friendship paradiagm because of this! I must deal with this somehow but the question is however shall I do it?!', Sheldon thought as he looked over his shoulder at Max. She shifted slightly as she continued sleeping. A few hours later when she woke up and before Sheldon and Leonard took her home, she left a note sitting on their kitchen counter which was addressed to Sheldon. In the note, she thanked him for taking care of her and for punching her ex-boyfriend in the face before leaving her cell phone number at the bottom, telling him that he can call or text her anytime except for when she's working unless it's an emergency. This gave Sheldon mixed feelings when he read it because he still wasn't sure of what to do. Part of him wanted her so badly but the other part was telling him that this was all nonsense and that he should just forget about Max.

" You ok buddy?", Leonard asked as he stared at Sheldon who was deep in thought.

" Oh… yes, I'm fine.", Sheldon said as he snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his best friend's voice.

" Were you thinking about Max?", Leonard asked.

" I… no Leonard! Why are you so obsessed with what I'm thinking about all of a sudden?! Didn't I just tell you, Howard, and Raj that I have more important things to think about?!", Sheldon adamantly denied as one of his eyebrows twitched in frustration.

" Oh please Sheldon, you couldn't tell a lie to save your own life! Whatever the hell this is that you're doing or thinking about you're clearly not doing a good enough job of hiding it!", Leonard shot back as he narrowed his eyes at him.

" Leonard I would greatly appreciate it if you would just drop the subject! I don't need this incessant catterwauling from you or from anyone else!", Sheldon hissed.

" What the hell is that supposed to mean?!", Leonard shot back.

" naDevvo' yIghoS!", Sheldon shouted in Klingon before he stormed off to his bedroom with the note Max had left and slammed the door shut.

To be continued…


End file.
